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[CH3ZZZER]

Hi, I only have a debit card with nationwide – should I get a credit card for purchases or a post office travel card?

Also, what is a good amount of euros to take for 4 days?

(family of 3 with food tokens paid for already)

Thank you xxx

[A&S&O]

Nationwide do a credit card that charges no commission for purchases in Europe and charges the actual exchange rate. We use that for all purchases. It means we get a better rate than taking cash and we don't need to carry great wads of Euros around with us.

It all depends on whether you are happy having a credit card.

[stifle]

Have you considered getting a debit card with no foreign fees such as Norwich & Peterborough or Metro Bank, or a credit card with no fees on foreign purchases such as Halifax Clarity? I don't recommend the foreign currency cards sold by the Post Office and others as most of them charge all kinds of silly fees and poor exchange rates.

[samuelvictor]

Asking how much is a good amount of money to take/spend for a family of four for four days is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string... a rule of thumb is that whatever cash you take with you WILL get spent! haha 

The first time we went to DLRP in 2011, we literally had NO spending money whatsoever. We pre-warned the kids of this, and they understood before we went. In all honesty, it didn't spoil the experience, and we had a fantastic time. On other trips, depending on how flush we were at the time, we (a family of four) have spent anywhere from 20 euros to 100 euros a day. We could have easily spent more if we had it, but it isn't essential to spend money to have a good time - all the main attractions, rides and shows are included in the price of your tickets and there is so much to see and do its easy to distract kids. 

In the parks, its worth pointing out that snacks are quite expensive (2 euros for a bag of crisps or a coke) but the shop in the train station is cheaper, and there is also an Auchan supermarket nearby in Val D'Europe which is very cheap.

To give you an idea of the kind of price of merchandise, the cheapest souvenirs are things like little tins of mints, postcards and pencils, which are all around 1 euro. Pin Badges, magnets and keyrings are around 5-7, mugs and statues are 10-15, snowglobes are 15-30, plushes are 8-30, t-shirts are 12-25, hoodies are 30-50, kids books are 5-15, ear hats/bands are 8-15, or 20 for the "light ears" versions. Of course the price of toys and collectibles wildly varies, but for example my son got a Star Tours lightspeeder for 35 euros, and a "build your own" lightsaber for 30. My daughter bought a snowglobe for 17 euros, which had a statue of Mickey in a Santa hat holding it, and when she got back to the hotel she noticed that there were a couple of chips in it and some damage to his hat. I took it back to the shop and it was instantly replaced with no questions whatsoever, and they even gave me extra packaging, a box and a bag to protect it when we traveled home. Excellent service.

One thing I should mention is that whilst none of the merchandise in the parks is exactly "cheap", the quality of everything we've ever bought has been exceptional. Clothes are good quality, ultra soft and last well, toys are robust and well designed, plushes are beautiful. Even "just" a mug that I bought is a thing of beauty, very heavy, solid, well designed and the artwork/detailing is beautiful. I don't think we've ever regretted buying anything from DLRP.